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C. M. ZARTMAN.

WIRE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, ms.

Patented July 29, 1919.

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' STATES PAT C CHARLES M. ZARTMAN, 0F MONTROSE, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OFONE-THIRD T0 JAMES W. GALLOWAY AND ONE-THIRD TO ANTHONY HOBAN, BOTH .OFMONTROSE, COLO- RADO.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent. ljatented July 29, 1919.

Application filed July 29, 1916. Serial No. 112,157.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. ZAR'IMAN, citizen of the United States,residing at the city and county of Montrose and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in ire-Stretchers; and I dodeclare the following. to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wire stretchers, my object beingto provide a simple and eflicient device which will overcome a number ofthe difficulties experienced in handling wire stretchers heretofore invogue.

In my improvement I employ a bar which is equipped with means,preferably a chain, intermediate its extremities, adapted to pass arounda post, whereby the bar is mounted upon the post and extends therefromin both directions. Upon a holder carried near one end of this bar isfulcrumeda lever with which is connected pawls adapted to engage ratchetteeth on the bar. One end of the bar is also provided with a jointeddevice equipped with means for clamping the wire to be stretched. Theopposite extremity of the bar is provided with a guide, through whichthe wire passes during the stretching operation. This last namedextremity of the bar is also equipped with means for clamping the wireto the bar Whenever it is desired to do so. The bar is further equippedbetween its extremities with a guide for thewire, whereby the latter isheldin alinement with the bar during the wire stretching operation. Thisguide is a very important feature since it keeps the wire during thestretching operation in alinement with the bar and also directly abovethe same, thus rendering it impossible for the Wire to get out ofalinement with the edge of the bar. In wire stretchers which are notequipped with a guide of this character, the wire during the stretchingoperation is liable to bend the bar, the wire acting as a bow string. Byvirtue of my improved guide the bar may be madecomparatively small andlight in weight and still efliciently performthe wire stretchingfunction. W'ere it not for this guide, it would be necessary to make thebar'abnormally heavy, in order to prevent the wire from bending the barlike a bow. It will readily be understood that it is exceedinglyimportant that the bar should be as light as possible, not only from thestandpoint of cheapness of construction, but also by rea son of the factthat a bar of light weight is much more easily handled during the wirestretching operation than a heavy bar. It is also much easier to carryabout a light bar than one of the weight which would be required in theabsence of my improved guide, located intermediate the extremities ofthe bar.

Having briefly outlined my improved construction I shallproceed todescribe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawing, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof. In this drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wire stretcher, showing thesame in use. i

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the same, showing the partson a somewhatlarger scale. In this view the post and the means connected with .thebar for attaching the latter to the ,post are omitted.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33, Fig. 2, looking toward theright.

Fig. 4-is a detail elevation, showing one extremity of the bar with theclamping device in engagement with the wire.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55, Fig. 4, looking toward theleft. i I

Fig. 6 is a viewlooking in the direction of arrow 6, Fig. 2.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.Let the nu meral 5 designate a bar equipped intermediate its extremitieswith a chain 6, one extremity of which is fixedly connected with thebar, as shown at 7. The chain is adapted to be passed around a post 9,after which one link thereof is connected with a hook or projection 8formed on the bar and extending downwardly therefrom, thus securing thebar intermediate its extremities upon the post. In this event the barextends both forwardly and rearwardly from the post.

The forward portion of the bar is toothed on its upper and lower edgesto coiip'erate withjpawls 10 and 12, which are pivotally mounted asshown at 18 and 1 1 on a lever 1'5;--thepawl1-0 is located 'above'thebar and coiiperates-w-ith the teeth of its upper edge, while the pawl 12is located below thehar and cooperates with the teeth of its lower edge.The lever 15 is fulcrnmed ona member L6, which is adapted slide freelyon the bar during the wire stretching operation. member 16 at, thefulcrum 17 ofrthe let er is a bifurcated part 1S, .terininating in aneyef1'9, which interlocks with a similar eye 20, forming a part of ahood 21 swiveledin a .part $22130 form anniversaljoint. This palft 22 isequipped with a flange and anup'wardly projecting part 24. When thedevice is in use, the wire25 vto'be stretched rests upon the flange 23,and an eccentric cam :26, which is pivotally n ounted on the part 24'coiiperates withthe flanges 23' .to hold the wire securely in placednringthe wire stretching operatione The rear eiitremity of the barisproy-ided with an upwardly projecting guide 36,'whicl 1 forms a loopthrough w'hichithe wire @tobe stretched Passes. In the upper portion ofthis'loop is pivotally mounted an ,antitrici n o ler 2 ow which the wirepass Pivota y connected with the'r ar lender the bar belowtheguide'26,is an angle member 28 carrying an eccentric cam 29f. After the wire isstretched to the limitpermitted by the length of the notchedforwardflpon tion of the bar, ifit is desired to further stretch thewire, the angle member 28 aild the cam 29. willbe thrown to the dottedline position in Fig. 1, wherebyth lwfire will be securely clamped tothe rear endof the Af er this isdone', the cam is sed from the wine andthe slidable meinb .116, togetherwi h' th le er 1.57am th P rle 10 and12, will be moved rearwa and "the cam 26 applied to the wine in positionconsiderably inthe rear of its original ositi s se as this isrlene theca n'2 will be rel as d from the vwire and the ang member 28 will beallowedtodrep' down to the fu l l ne position n :Fig. j1,lwhereby itwill be disengagedfrom the wire. 'The wire stretching operation ma ythen be continued'in the same manner as before.

Intermediate the extremities of the bar 5 is mounted a guide 30,whose1ipper portion is forked, as shown in 31; the upper portions of thearms of the fork being suflieiently spaced, as shown i11 32, to allowthe wire with the barbs thereon to pass freelybetween the arms of'thefork. Th'e searms, however, gradu y pproac a h are h irlowereXt-remities, the latter being arranged to hold the wire in placepreparatory tot-he securing of the wire by the cam 26. In

Pivotally connected with the slidable.

other words, the operator will stretch the wire as tightly as he can byhand and then drop it into place between the arms 32 and allow it tomove downwardly into position between the lower extremities of the arms,in which event the barb will retain the wire thepesition of handadjustment, since the lower extremities of the arms of the fork are soclose together that the barb cannot pass therethrough. However, as soonas the wire stretching operation begins the wire will be automaticallyraised from the lower position into the wider space above between thearmsofithe fork, and pass freely :therethrough. This guide 30 alsoperfci'ms another important function, since being located on the barbetween the extremities thereof, maintains tghe wire in alinement withits edge, and thus .prevents the wire from bendihg eh lbarin the samemanner as .a string or cogrolbends abow. ,BVVllTtlle of this constructon, I am enabled to make the bar much lighter in weight than Iooulcl'othen wisedo.

From the foregoing description, the use of my improved.Wirestretcherwill be readily understood. In the first instance, the chain ,6 ispassed around the post 9 beginicing on the side ofthe'post opposite thatfrom Whelie the lever 15 is located. The chain is then connected withthe hook or proect1on 8. "The reason for this particular manner vofconnecting the chain with the post is that equipped as it is with thelever 15, the slide 16, and the pawls 10 and 12 is much heavier theforward extremity-of the bar forward of the'post thanin the'rearthereof, I

andthis weighth-as a tendency to make the forward extremity of the bartomove downwardly This it ca not do, since t e ch n, by virtue of itspeculiar location and 'cont e- 1; with hei $a tins o clamps h pest sucha manner as to relvent this idownward noven'leht of the forward end ofthe bar; Hence the bar is held in substanwitho ut special effort on thepart of the operator', who isthus free to give his attention to theconnection of the wire with the stretcher, for the purpose of beginningthe stretching operation. The wireis in the first instance passedfintoand drawn through the guide 36 at the rear extremity of thebar,

"after which it is passed between the arms 31 of the guide 80, andafte'ribeing stretched as far as convenient byhand, the wire is movedinto the lowest part of the fork, in which extent the herb looks itagainst rearward t 11y the herizontal position on the post V movement.Hence the wire held in theadj usted po sition until itis clamped by theuse of the eamQQG. As soonas this is done, the wire stretchingoperationbegins by the manipulationof the'lever 15 in the usual manner.It will be understood that by the backward and forward movement of thearm of the lever above the wire, the lever, together with the slide 16and the pawls 10 and 12, will move forwardly on the bar, drawing thewire with them, by virtue of the clamping action of the cam 26, which isconnected with the slide and lever as heretofore explained. After theslide 16 has moved as far as possible on the notched portion of the bar,if the wire is not suflicientlystretched, the cam 29 and the anglemember 28 may be thrown to the dotted line position in Fig. 1, and thewire clamped by the use of the last named cam, after which the cam 26may be released from the wire and the slide and lever moved rearwardlyto the point of beginning, after which the cam 29 is released andallowed to assume the full line position in Fig. 1, to gether with theangle member 28. The wire stretching operation may then be repeated bythe manipulation of the lever, in which event the lever and itsconnections may be again, if desired, moved to the dotted line positionin Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim 1s:

A barbed wire stretcher comprising a bar equipped approximately midwayof its length with a guide for the wire, to maintain it in alinementwith a plane passed vertically through the bar parallel with itsopposite sides during the wire stretchin operation, said guidecomprising a forke member, and the upper portions of the fork arms beingspaced to allow the barbs to pass freely, while the lower extremities ofthe arms approach each other, to prevent the passage of the barbs whenin the lowermost position in the guide, thus serving the additionalfunction of a clampin device.

In testimony w iereof I affix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES M. ZARTMAN.

Witnesses:

JAMES Drn'rs, A. J. OBRIEN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patentn, Washington, D. 0.

